7. TRAINING, EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER 7.1 Training This CCNE will function to train the next generation of scientists and engineers in the use of the tools of nanotechnology to understand and ameliorate diseases, including cancer. Specifically, through the research projects funded by the Center as well as the associated educational activities, we will train graduate students and postdoctoral fellows at the interface between nanotechnology and cancer biology. We believe strongly that a true integration of different disciplines is best achieved by the joint training and supervision of trainees so that they become expert in all relevant areas of study. Accordingly, we place significant emphasis on efforts to attract students with backgrounds in cancer biology and basic cell and molecular biology as well as those from chemistry, physics andengineering disciplines. The CCNE will offer an ideal environment for the cross-training of such individuals, and we will work with the graduate and other training programs at the represented institutions to ensure that the students and fellows are able to perform their work in this cross-disciplinary setting.. In fact, there is a large pool of excellent students and MIT/Harvard already have in place administrative and educational mechanisms for encouraging interdisciplinary activities among these students and the respective faculty members. The training component will include participation in a CCNE-specific lecture series, classroom training and workshops. At both institutions, there are multiple courses with "nano" in their titles and several more that are closely related to the fields of study in the CCNE. Similar courses are also offered at Harvard. The educational component of the CCNE will provide support for the interdisciplinary training of 2 graduate students and 2 postdoctoral fellows per year and 5 undergraduates. This is in addition to the individuals funded directly by the projects and pilot projects Overall, we estimate to train 15-20 students and an equal number of post-doctoral fellows per year in the CCNE. 7.2 Interface with other nanotechnology training programs Harvard's Nanoscale Science and Engineering center (NSEC;PI: Westervelt) has an extensive educational and outreach program that has been in existence for 5 years. The program (for details see http://www.nsec.harvard.edu/education.htm) has lecture series, webcasts, interactions with the Museum of Science, cablecasts via New England Cable News, fellowships for women and minorities, undergraduate programs, K-12 Teacher programs and knowledge transfer programs to the public. We will harness these existing mechanism and in close collaboration with Dr. Westervelt plan for joint programs in the future open to participants of both programs. A second existing training program is that of MIT's Institute of Soldier Nanotechnologies (ISN;PI: Ned Thomas) and which will be tightly integrated with this consortium. There are currently over 130 graduate students and nearly 40 postdoctoral fellows working on different projects of the ISN. All standard MIT research center communications are implemented: web site, newsletters, brochure, video, hosting of groups for overviews and tours (everyone from school kids to alumni to four-star generals). There is a monthly seminar series, a K-12 outreach program, and contributions to the MIT Museum's family program. 7.3 Interface with NIH training programs There also exist a number of training programs associated with members of the CCNE that focus on cancer biology, biology, biophysics, materials engineering, physical sciences. This includes training grants in the MIT Biology Department (5 T32 GM07287-30), Computational Systems Biology Initiative (1-T90- DK070114-01, 1-R90-DK071503-01), Division of Biological Engineering (5-T32-ES070-2O), Chemistry Department (T32-ES-07020, T32-CA-09112). Also included are a T32 training program at CMIR (T32 CA79443), a P50 associated Career Development program (P50 CA86355). 7.4 Lecture series The program will have a monthly lecture series with alternating topics covering the three focus areas: nanotechnology, in vivo targeting/testing and oncology. The lectures will be given by scientists and engineers involved in the CCNE. In addition postdoctoral fellows will periodically present progress of individual projects. We will also invite outside guest speakers as part of our lecture series. 7.5 Annual retreat We plan an annual off-campus retreat to further foster interactions among CCNE members. Our experience has been that such retreats provide an outstanding opportunity for cross fertilization of ideas and for establishing new, formal collaborations. Although many of the Departments and Centers at MIT and Harvard, including the he MIT CCR and the DFHCC, hold such retreats, we feel that it is important to have a specific retreat for the faculty and trainees of the CCNE. Retreats will include platform and poster presentations as well as special lectures and workshops. We anticipate inviting the members of our internal and external advisory boards to attend the retreat. 7.5 Exchange program A major aspect of our educational program is its multidisciplinary training of students, postdoctoral fellows and staff. Formal mechanisms are in place to assign students and fellows to interdisciplinary joint programs (e.g. projects 2, 4, 5) through a central mechanism. We also encourage and facilitate student exchanges between programs. Several of our consortium members also have official exchange programs (visiting professors, sabbaticals, student exchanges, visitor programs) with other Universities and Programs. These programs are set up to share facilities, carry out collaborative research and cross-train oncology, chemistry, physics and engineering students. 7.6 Outreach to elementary schools: NanoSleuths This is a new project targeted at Cambridge inner city elementary school students. Dr. Angela Belcher has initiated this program to get students in local schools excited about nanoscience. This program has three major goals 1) to get students think about the nanoworld 2) to help increase the science infrastructure in local elementary schools 3) engage MIT undergraduate and graduate students in outreach to local schools. The NanoSleuths program will prepare special modules and teach applications of nanotechnology to cancer. Specifically, the NanoSleuths program will focus on modules for students to work in teams to solve "cases" that involve nano mysteries. MIT students and Dr. Belcher will help facilitate the cases. The cases to be investigated will be 1) "The Case of the Racing Slimes" 2) "The Case of the Slippery Atom" 3) The Case of the Stolen Gene 4) The Case of the Disappearing Light and 5) Nanorobots in cancer vessels, among others. 8. INTERACTIONS, OUTREACH 8.1 Interactions with Cancer Centers This CCNE is focused exclusively on the application of nanotechnology to problems in cancer diagnosis, treatment and disease monitoring, as this is reinforced by the tight integration with two NCI-designated Cancer Centers. The CCNE will be organized and administered by the MIT CCR (Dr. Jacks, Director), and will interact closely with the DFHCC (see letter from Dr. Livingston, Deputy Director). In addition, there multitude of Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) which are involved in the Projects. Projects 1 and 3 interact closely with the Prostate Spore at DFHCC lead by Dr. Kantoff. Drs. Kantoff and Rubin have played a pivotal role in the design of the current projects. They have also collaborated with Drs. Langer, Farokhzad, Josephson and Weissleder over a number of years. Project 2 will interact with research groups at the MIT CCR in developing siRNA-based targeting strategies for lung and brain tumor models under development. Through Dr. Jacks, Project 2 will interact with the DF/HCC lung cancer SPORE. Project 4 will rely on the Mouse Models Core, MIT CCR collaborators in the Jacks and Housman laboratory and the Ovarian Cancer group at MGH (Seiden, Chabner). Drs Weissleder and Seiden are corecipients of a Doris Duke award on ovarian cancer and have collaborated on developing methods for early detection and relapse of ovarian cancer in patients. Project 5 also relies on the Mouse Models Core and interactions with the clinical gastrointestinal research groups at DFHCC of which Dr. Weissleder is a member. Drs. Weissleder, Bhatia, Farokhzad and Ramaswamy are practicing physicians with appointments at MGH and/or BWH. Dr. Phillip Kantoff (collaborator of project 1 and 3) is Director of GU Oncology at DF/HCC and director of a GU Spore. Dr. Bruce Chabner (collaborator of project 3) is the Clinical Director of the MGH Cancer Center and Director of the "Phase 1-group" at DFHCC. Dr. Michael Seiden serves as Chairman of the MGH Cancer Center Clinical Protocol Committee, as well as Chairman of the Dana Farber-Harvard Gynecologic Oncology Research Committee. Dr. Daniel Haber is the Director of the MGH Cancer Center and Dr. David Livingston is the Deputy Director of the DFHCC. 8.2 Industrial outreach program (IOP) The consortium will establish a semi-annual meeting with industry leaders with joint sponsorship from MIT and Harvard Departments. The IOP is aimed at a) facilitating the rapid translation of most promising nanotechnology developments, b) strengthening external collaborations by facilitating mutually beneficial relationships and c) reviewing internal projects. The program will invite leading scientists from industry and our network of local laboratories to participate. The workshop will including talks and poster sessions on research, educational programs, shared experimental facilities and outreach activities. Based on our collective experience from the past several years the following large companies (among others) will be invited to participate in this Program: Merck, Novartis, Lilly, Abbot, Aventis, Glaxo, BMS, Johnson and Johnson, Proctor and Gamble, Genentech, Biogen, Analog Devices, Nanosys, Quantum Dot Corporation, General Electric and Siemens (see attached letters of interest from invitations already extended). 8.3 Clinical translation Members of this consortium have considerable expertise in clinical medicine, drug development, phase 1 clinical trials and translational research. Collectively, the team has developed the following materials for clinical use and/or has participated in clinical trials: [unreadable] Gliadel wafer, SonoPrep and others (76, 109) [unreadable] First clinical trials of magnetic nanoparticles (106) [unreadable] Development (119) and first clinical trials of lymphotropic magnetic nanoparticles (43, 44) [unreadable] Development and clinical testing of novel synthetic graft copolymers (17).